Sisu 2

Source: Sitges

Sisu

Nordic studios SF Studios and Nordisk Film have become the latest organisations to criticise national film funding cuts proposed by the government of Finland, which the studios say will make it “difficult, if not impossible” to sustain their investment in Finnish production.

The Finnish government published its proposed budget at the start of August, with the plans discussed by government at the start of September.

The proposals include a reduction of what SF Studios and Nordisk Film say is “nearly €8m in national film funding.”

Last week the Finnish Film Foundation (FFF) also criticised the cuts, which it said came in at a €7m in film production, and amounted to 35% of the FFF’s budget.

“A significant reduction in funding would inevitably result in fewer productions, fewer jobs, and reduced access to culture in many communities,” said a statement issued by SF Studios and Nordisk Film today. “Most critically, around 50 cinemas – many of them in rural areas – would be at risk of closure, leaving large parts of the population without access to local cinema.”

“Should the proposed cuts be implemented, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to sustain the same level of investment in Finnish productions,” said the statement. “This would put at risk the very qualities that make Finnish cinema unique – its stories, its voices, and its contribution to national and Nordic cultural heritage.”

The companies also noted that the cuts go against moves in Denmark, Norway and Sweden to reinforce support for local film; and that they have contacted members of the Finnish parliament to share their perspective.

According to SF Studios and Nordisk Film, the Finnish industry produces around 15 to 17 features annually, employing more than 5,000 professionals.

The FFF says the proposed cuts will shrink domestic production to just 8-10 features a year, losing 200-300 jobs and closing dozens of small town cinemas.

The Finnish budget process runs across a year, starting with spending proposals by ministries in January to the ministry of finance.

The ministry of finance is currently finalising the budget proposal, ahead of submitting it to parliament on Monday, September 22. 

The parliament finance committee will then review the proposal and issue its own report on it before a parliamentary discussion on the content of the budget, which will finally be adopted in December. 

SF Studios and Nordisk Film are two of the world’s longest-running film studios, both at over 100 years old. SF is headquarted in Stockholm, Sweden, with Nordisk in Copenhagen, Denmark, with both operating across the Nordic region in production, marketing and distribution.

Recent Finnish titles on which the companies have worked include historical epic Kalevala, based on a 19th-century compilation of Finnish poetry, which SF is co-producing and distributing; and Jalmari Helander’s 2022 Sisu, which Nordisk Film distributed in the Nordics and which made over $14m worldwide.

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